I’m driving along the A-something-or-other, a couple of hours into a longish journey, and my tongue begins to feel too big for my mouth. A cup of tea would go down very nicely – and aha! what’s this? A sign that announces

TEAS NEXT LAYBY
1/4 MILE

But when I reach that next layby a quarter of a mile down the road, what do I see? Nada. Nothing, that is, except a litter of styrofoam teacups strewn around a torn-apart-by-foxes black bin bag. Grrr.Read more…

[B]ecause of its lengthy, intimate, and inevitable relationship with culture, technology does not invite a close examination of its own consequences. It is the kind of friend that asks for trust and obedience, which most people are inclined to give because its gifts are truly bountiful. But, of course, there is a dark side to this friend. Its gifts are not without a heavy cost. Stated in the most dramatic terms, the accusation can be made that the uncontrolled growth of technology destroys the vital sources of our humanity. It creates a culture without a moral foundation. It undermines certain mental processes and social relations that make human life worth living. Technology, in sum, is both friend and enemy.